The NBA handed out Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, and predictably, San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard won for a second consecutive year, with Golden State’s Draymond Green coming in second. No surprises there.
The third place finisher was Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, and he thinks he should have finished a fair bit higher than third.
Whiteside on DPOY: "I was third place, I guess… I'm used to not getting credit for what I do."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Hassan Whiteside on DPOY: "I'm used to being overlooked. I've been overlooked my whole life."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Hassan Whiteside: "I put up stats you guys ain't never seen… Ain't got nothing to say about that."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Hassan Whiteside is a combination of crushed and pissed by today's DPOY results. Zero positive coming from him about finishing 3rd.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Whiteside's up for Most Improved, too– “I won’t win that. I won’t win nothing. I’ll probably never win any of that. I don’t win awards.”
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Whiteside happy to be in the mix (top-3) for DPOY? "I guess I'm thankful. I'm happy I'm there, I guess. I don't know. I'm not really."
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) April 18, 2016
Yes, Whiteside is averaging 3.7 blocks per game as well as double digit rebounds. He is an elite defensive center, but he doesn’t offer the complete defensive performance that Leonard and Green do. I don’t see any problem with the results, but Whiteside is obviously free to use this as motivation. Good for him if he does, and maybe he can boost that 2K rating some more.
